In the era before the GPS, the lighthouses scattered along the shores of the Great Lakes were the one reliable way of determining where a ship was at night. While the American lights were built and managed by the federal government, on the Canadian side these were the responsibility of the government of Upper Canada … Read more
Peterborough was the second municipality in Ontario to form a LACAC. The Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (PACAC) was established in 1975 following the creation of the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA) by the province. 2025 represents the 50th year since the creation of PACAC. Over the years PACAC has played a vital role in programs … Read more
The Peterborough Historical Society will start the New Year with a presentation by the Nine Ships 1825 Inc. Board that is coordinating the commemoration and promotion of the British sponsored migration of some 2,000 Irish to the Peterborough region in 1825 under the supervision of Peter Robinson. The various heritage agencies throughout Peterborough and area are … Read more
Local lawyer Peter Lillico hosts a haunting and rare virtual tour of the remains of what was Peterborough’s most elegant 19th-century hotel – the Oriental on Hunter Street. Who knows what mysteries await in the long-locked, hard to access but still surviving rooms in the upper floors above his law office? Who knows what dramas unfolded … Read more
This month Allan Kirby, musician, and music scholar, performs and talks about how early folk ballads from the old countries, emphasizing Ireland, were adapted for their new surroundings. These unique songs and tunes generated interest from musicologist Charles Louis Seeger Jr. (Pete Seeger’s father) a professor at UCLA. Subsequently audio recordings were made by noted … Read more
One of Peterborough’s original rock and roll performers, Geoff Hewitson will take us on a trip down memory lane as he speaks about the beginning of rock and roll and how it found its way to Peterborough. As a documentary filmmaker, Geoff has won two Star awards for his role as filmmaker and producer on … Read more
Filmmaker Peter Blow will show his promotional film and speak about why representatives from the Temagami First Nation are officially repudiating the cultural appropriation label on Canada’s greatest fake – a timely topic of discussion on Indigenous conservation and Grey Owl’s remarkable visit to Peterborough one month before his death. The Peterborough Historical Society monthly … Read more